Filter by keyword: Science communication teaching

Mar 30, 2026 Book Review

Public engagement with science: a practical guide

by Kiran Tomas van den Brande , Emmy Vrieling-Teunter , Arnoud Theodoor Evers , Frank de Jong

Public engagement with science has gained institutional prominence while remaining conceptually fragmented and difficult to operationalise. This review evaluates Public Engagement with Science by Angela Potochnik and Melissa Jacquart as a field-level intervention addressing this condition. The book offers an interdisciplinary, pedagogically grounded framework for understanding, designing, and institutionalising public engagement. More steps regarding its theorization can be made, but the plentitude of strengths lies in conceptual integration and practical design.

Volume 25Issue 32026

Sep 11, 2025 Practice Insight

Action learning workshops for scientists: science communication for public engagement skills for the VLIR-Teams Active Parks research group

by Denisse H Vasquez-Guevara , Diego Andres Lazzarini Moscoso , Santiago Jose Bermeo , Carolina Seade , Angelica Ochoa-Aviles

Universities and funding agencies are increasingly expecting research teams to include initiatives promoting public engagement, which often require public science communication. However, developing science communication skills can be challenging for researchers due to the limited availability of training opportunities. This practice insight documents the experiences of researchers participating in action-learning science communication workshops developed for the VLIR-Teams Active Parks research group in Cuenca, Ecuador. Through learning activities, researchers developed interdisciplinary science communication skills, including self-reflexivity, crafting speeches, and content creation for social media, to effectively communicate their study's outcomes on public park usage to stakeholders and various community audiences. The workshops proved effective in building public engagement skills and developing self-reflexivity, enabling researchers to create impactful, audience-centered initiatives that fostered meaningful connections with the community.

Volume 24Issue 052025

May 05, 2025 Review Article

Evaluating video-based science communications practices: a scoping review

by Betty Lai , Alexa Riobueno-Naylor , Sarah Quan , Mauricio Montes , Jon Wargo , S Mo Jones-Jang

Despite the rising popularity of video-based platforms, systematic guidelines for developing effective video-based science communication remain scarce. Training scientists in these skills is vital for combating misinformation and engaging audiences. This study reviewed evidence-based strategies for communicating science via video-based social media platforms, identifying 28 articles that included original video-based data and were published in the past decade. Articles were identified through library database searches, journal archives, and publication lists from relevant researchers. Predominantly focusing on YouTube (42.9%) and TikTok (28.6%), qualitative findings revealed best practices related to narrative structure, emotion and connection, video features, professionalism and quality, and social media strategies. Highlighting actionable strategies, this research provides valuable insights for scientists navigating the dynamic landscape of video-based science communication.

Volume 24Issue 032025

Jun 03, 2024 Article

Science communicators from marginalized backgrounds challenge STEM cultural norms to promote community belonging

by Evelyn Valdez-Ward , Robert N. Ulrich , Nic Bennett , Esmeralda Martinez-Maldonado , Allison Mattheis , Kathleen K. Treseder , Bruno Takahashi , Sunshine Menezes

In the U.S., navigating STEM with marginalized identities can affect scientists' communication practices. There is a critical need for science communication training that accounts for the historical oppressions, discriminations, and inequities of marginalized communities. In this paper we analyzed 712 participant responses from ReclaimingSTEM science communication workshops to understand how marginalized scientists' identities influence their science communication practices. We found that participants' experiences of exclusion and hostility in STEM spaces influenced their engagement in science communication. Scientists from marginalized backgrounds aim to change the culture of STEM through their communication efforts to promote a sense of belonging for their communities.

Volume 23Issue 042024Special Issue: Science communication for social justice

Apr 24, 2024 Essay

Studying science in pop culture through textual analysis. An introduction to examining science in visual texts — Street art, comics and (animated) film

by Anna-Sophie Jürgens , Lucy Darragh , Paul Peace , Rita Agha , John Noel Viana , Isabel Richards

Textual analysis is a commonly-used qualitative method for analysing and interpreting cultural texts. This approach elicits how representations occur, their underlying assumptions and how they come to have meaning. Despite the popularity and utility of textual analysis, its interpretive and theoretical strategies are not comprehensively described in science communication research. To fill this gap and clarify how textual analysis can be used to unpack the cultural meanings and representation of science in visual texts — images, comics and films — the authors analyse and discuss four environmentally-themed scholarly articles that apply textual analysis. This showcases the value of textual analysis in investigating and understanding the relationships between pop culture and science, demystifying it for science communication students and researchers.

Volume 23Issue 032024

Mar 25, 2024 Practice Insight

Teaching to bridge research and practice: perspectives from science communication educators across the world

by Siddharth Kankaria , Alice Fleerackers , Edith Escalón , Erik Stengler , Clare Wilkinson , Tobias Kreutzer

Despite growing awareness of the need to bridge research and practice in science communication, methods of facilitating meaningful interactions between them remain elusive. This practice insight explores how teaching efforts can help to fill this gap. Drawing on case studies from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, India, and Mexico, six instructors offer examples of pedagogical strategies that they have found effective in bridging the two domains — such as fostering partnerships with local science communication practitioners, using dialogic and participatory approaches to build communities of learning and practice, encouraging reflexivity and epistemic humility, and drawing connections with local contexts.

Volume 23Issue 022024Special Issue: Connecting science communication research and practice: challenges and ways forward (Connecting Science)

Mar 18, 2024 Article

Race-evasive ideology in U.S.-based science communication fellowship director discourse

by Nic Bennett , Anthony Dudo , John Besley , Yasmiyn Irizarry

A critical examination of science communication training programs may uncover barriers to cultivating inclusive, equitable, and just science communication spaces. In this study, we analyzed science communication fellowship director's discourse for evidence of race-evasive ideology — language that avoids talk of race and justifies current racial inequity as the outcome of nonracial processes [Bonilla-Silva, 2006]. We found the four frames of race-evasive ideology (minimization, abstract liberalism, cultural racism, and naturalization) pervasive in interviews with science communication fellowship directors. We discuss how these findings might explain why structural racism persists in science communication organizations despite their directors' best intentions.

Volume 23Issue 012024

Feb 26, 2024 Book Review

An idea-packed guide for scientists teaching communication skills

by Andy Ridgway

“Teaching Science Students to Communicate: A Practical Guide” is aimed at scientists who want to teach science students transferrable communication skills. It starts with a rallying cry and is filled with creative ideas for teaching sessions with top tips on how to run them effectively. Above all, this book should help scientists instil a disposition in their students that should underpin any act of communication — empathy.

Volume 23Issue 012024

Dec 11, 2023 Editorial

Science communication in higher education: global perspectives on the teaching of science communication

by Joseph Roche , Anne M. Land-Zandstra , Bruce V. Lewenstein , Luisa Massarani

This special issue focuses on the global landscape of teaching science communication in higher education. Following an open call, we selected seven papers with topics including the geographical distribution of science communication programmes, indicators of quality, programme analysis, self-reporting tools, interdisciplinarity, sustainability, and competencies. Collectively, these contributions highlight how the field has grown and increased in complexity, and highlights challenges faced by educators and the significance of addressing them within local and global contexts.

Volume 22Issue 062023Special Issue: Science communication in higher education: global perspectives on the teaching of science communication (Teaching Science Communication)

Dec 11, 2023 Article

The distribution of science communication teaching around the globe

by Luisa Massarani , Heather Bray , Marina Joubert , Andy Ridgway , Joseph Roche , Fiona Smyth , Elizabeth Stevenson , Frans van Dam , Willian Vieira de Abreu

In the context of a special issue of this journal focused on teaching science communication, we present a map of the geographical distribution of 122 science communication teaching programmes from 31 countries around the world. This mapping study resulted from a collaboration between members of the PCST Teaching Forum and the research team at GlobalSCAPE, a research project funded by the European Commission to explore the global state of science communication. Our findings highlight the concentration of these programmes in the U.S.A. and Europe, and the dominance of English as the language of instruction. We ponder the causes and implications of the disparities in opportunities for studying science communication in other world regions and languages. The dearth of science communication educational pathways in developing countries may limit the professionalisation of the field, as well as research and evidence-based practice that is locally needed and relevant.

Volume 22Issue 062023Special Issue: Science communication in higher education: global perspectives on the teaching of science communication (Teaching Science Communication)

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